


Pokémon Red Version

by falconlord5



Series: Pokémon [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Red & Green & Blue & Yellow | Pokemon Red Green Blue Yellow Versions
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-03-19 12:59:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13704966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falconlord5/pseuds/falconlord5
Summary: Join Red as he travels Kanto to become the World's Greatest Pokémon Master!





	1. A New Adventure!

Pokémon Red: A New Adventure!

A man of average height, with grey hair and dressed in a white lab coat over brown pants winked onto the screen. The man said:

“Hello there! Welcome to the world of Pokémon! My name is Oak! People call me the Pokémon Prof!” The professor was replaced by a strange looking creature. It was purple, with large ears and a horn above its nose. It stood on four feet, snarling. A ridge of spikes went down its back.

“This world is inhabited by creatures called Pokémon!” the professor said off-screen. For some people, Pokémon are pets. Others use them for fights. Myself…I study Pokémon as a profession.” The strange creature was replaced once again, this time by a shadowy silhouette.

“First, what is your name?”

“Green!” shouted the little girl at the screen. She wore a blue-green sleeveless top over a red skirt. Her feet were bare. On her head was a white broad-brimmed hat with a red band that covered her light brown hair. She was five years old, the youngest of the three children gathered around the T.V. set. “You know that Grandpa!”

“He can’t hear you, G,” the boy behind her said, yawning. He was the oldest of the three, dressed in a long blue shirt and jeans. His spiky hair was the same colour as his sister’s. The boy lounged on the couch, eating a bag of kenpi.

“I know that, Blue!” Green said, turning around and stomping her foot. “I was just pretending!” Blue grinned at his sister and tossed a piece of kenpi at her. Green swiped it out of the air and ate the offending item.

“Leave her alone, Blue,” the third child said. He was of an age between the two siblings, and their closest friend. The child wore a red and white trucker’s hat, a black tank top and blue jeans. His hair was jet black.

“Aw, c’mon Red,” Blue said stretching. “If you can’t pick on your sister, who can you pick on?”

“Just leave her alone,” Red said. “I want to watch.”

“We’ve seen this before!” Blue pointed out, gesturing at the screen. “Every time we come over, we see Grandpa’s speech! Don’t you know it off by heart by now?”

“Shut up, Blue!” Green shouted. “If Red wants to watch Grandpa, we’re going to watch Grandpa!”

Blue was saved from having to answer by a voice from the kitchen:

“Kids! Lunch!”

***

Hanako Sugimori stood in the kitchen of her small Pallet Town home and washed the dishes. Hanako wore a white apron over a purple shirt and skirt. Her hair was as black as her son’s. She was young for a mother, but a lot of girls her generation were. Single mothers, too, most them. The war had wiped out most of Kanto’s young men, and Hanako’s husband Satoshi had been no exception. It had been hard raising their young child alone, though she had the help of the Oak’s next door. In many ways, she knew, she was lucky. The Oak’s had lost both parents, leaving Hiroshi and Rei to be raised by the professor and their oldest sister, Daisy. Together the two families had banded together to raise their children. Something Hanako was deeply grateful for.

She turned around to see Satoshi sitting at the table, kicking his feet as he drew something. She smiled at her son, but resisted the urge to go ruffle his hair.

“What are you working on, Satoshi?” she called out instead.

“It’s ‘Red,’ Mom,” he said, scowling.

“Okay,” Hanako said, smiling wider. “What are you working on, Red?”

“I’m drawing a Pokémon,” Red said. “Come here and look!”

Hanako put the dish she was scrubbing down and walked over to the table. Red held up his art. It was the strangest Pokémon she had ever seen: it was white with a purple stripe on its belly that stretched out to become a tail. The creature had a cat’s head with a tube coming out of it and stood on two legs. It’s heavy arms ended in claws.

“Wha-what kind of Pokémon is that?” Hanako asked.

“I don’t know,” Red said cheerfully. “I just keep seeing it in my dreams, so I drew it. What do you think?”

END PROLOGUE

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***
> 
> Author’s Note:
> 
> Dun dun dun! Why would young Red be dreaming of the most powerful Pokémon in the world?
> 
> This is my adaptation of the Pokémon video games. With a little bit of the anime thrown in when the game canon is missing something (like Red’s mom’s name. Irritatingly, the anime doesn’t give Red’s family a surname, unless you count ‘Ketchum’ which I don’t for the purposes of this fanfic), but not the manga. Haven’t read them, don’t have access to them, so don’t ask. So, quick recap:
> 
> Satoshi=Red. He changed his name for reasons that will be made clear in later installments.
> 
> Hiroshi=Blue. Yes, I’m using the NA translation. I live in North America, not Japan. At any rate, Hiroshi was one of the optional names you could pick for Blue in the games and because I can’t seriously imagine somebody naming their kid ‘Blue’, Hiroshi is Blue’s real name. He picked up the nickname Blue because Red called himself Red and Blue decided he needed a cool nickname, too.
> 
> Rei=Green. Green is based heavily on Leaf, the fem. protag. from FireRed/LeafGreen, with a couple of differences. Here she’s Blue’s sister, not Red’s stand-in, and she’s not the protagonist. Also because Leaf doesn’t technically exist in Pokémon, I felt justified in giving her her own name.
> 
> ***
> 
> Pokémon owned by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures.
> 
> ***
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter, please support me on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/joshstoodley) or by my original fiction on Amazon.  
> Robots and Vampires (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NDLMDT4): Two hundred years in the future, a young cyborg stops the richest boy in town from killing a gynoid. Now he must flee from the only home he’s ever known to Fort City, base of the mysterious Standard Technologies, Inc. Can he trust them?  
> The Standard Tech Case Files: The Black Coats (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VTWMR7W): When there’s a corpse on the street, somebody has to answer for that. When the body in question is the squire of a prominent vampire, the call for blood only gets louder. Follow Joey Bianco and his squire Jen Ryan as they hunt down a killer and try to keep the peace between vampires and humans.  
> The Standard Tech Case Files: The Dead and The Damned (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRSBC7I): Tensions between humanity and vampires are heating up. A vampire store has been ransacked. Protestors are being arrested without trial. Can Joey Bianco and Jen Ryan find a peaceful solution? Or will the streets of Fort City run red with blood?


	2. Choose Your Pokémon!

Pokémon Red Version: Chapter 1-Choose Your Pokémon!

Satoshi “Red” Sugimori had spent the whole night playing _Super Mario RPG_ on the Super Nintendo hooked up to the T.V. in his room. He was now eleven years old, old enough to get his official Pokémon trainer license. Naturally, he couldn’t sleep.

Red lived with his mother, Hanako Sugimori, in a two-story house in Pallet Town. Pallet Town was really too small to be considered a town; it was more of a tiny village at the bottom of Route 1. In addition to the Sugimori family, the only other permanent residents of Pallet Town were the Oaks. Samuel Oak was a world-famous Pokémon researcher who raised his three grandchildren after the war had taken his son and daughter in law. Red was best friends with the younger two. The other residents of Pallet Town were all transitory; Oak’s aids and students for the most part, along with some tourists.

Not that his hometown’s small size bothered Red. He was a quiet, introverted soul whose one great passion was Pokémon. Other people got in the way. They asked questions they didn’t have a right to ask, interrupted Red when he was trying to concentrate and then claimed that Red was being rude when he refused to answer! Red did not care much for people.

The bedside alarm clock rang. Red glanced over. It was six o’clock in the morning. Time to get moving. He saved his game and went to get dressed.

Red put on a pair of blue jeans, socks and a black tank top. He threw on his favourite red and white jacket and then put on his red and white hat. Red slung his backpack over his shoulder. He checked the computer and navigated to the Items screen. There he downloaded a Potion. Satisfied that he was ready, Red headed down the stairs.

***

Hanako Sugimori was eating breakfast with one hand while reading the newspaper with the other. She had lightly curled black hair and wore a white apron over a purple dress.

Hanako was young for a mother, one of the many ‘war brides’ that the war had caused. But if she was young, she wasn’t stupid: she knew that her son had stayed up all night playing those silly video games of his. But that was all right. Hanako knew how much today meant to Red, how he had been looking forward to it ever since he learned how to talk.

Speaking of her insomniac child, Red came down the stairs as quiet as a Rattata.

“Breakfast is on the table, sweetie,” Hanako called out.

“Oh, hi Mom,” Red said sheepishly. “I didn’t realize you were up.” He walked over to the table and sat down.

“You’re not the only one having a big day today,” Hanako chided him. “I’ve got work of my own to do, too!”

“I suppose,” Red said as he began to tuck in. Breakfast at the Sugimori household was a simple affair. Eggs, toast and tea. That suited both Red and his mother fine; neither were big or fancy eaters.

“Professor Oak was by earlier, he said he was looking for you,” Hanako said as her son wolfed down his food. Red may not be a big eater, but he sure was a quick one!

“Really?” Red said as he looked up at the clock, a piece of egg dripping down his chin. “Argh! I’m late!”

“I doubt it,” Hanako snorted. “Oak’s a crazy old man who doesn’t sleep much. I told him to get lost and come back at a reasonable hour. He’s probably out around town somewhere.”

“Right,” Red said. He finished his breakfast and got up to put his dishes in the sink. Red wiped his face off and said to his mother:

“Sorry, Mom. I’ve got to go. It’s…”

“I know,” Hanako said softly. “All boys leave home someday. It said so on T.V.,” she added with a sad little smile, jerking her head towards the television set where _Do The Right Thing_ was playing.

“Thanks, Mom,” Red said. He hugged his mother tight and put on his shoes. Then he walked out the door.

Hanako cried.

***

The sun was shining brightly on Pallet Town that day as Red walked out of his home. Across the way was the Oak house, another two-story building. In between the two and down a little ways was Professor Oak’s Lab, where the professor presumably was. The lab, in addition to hosting the Professor’s research lab, was where his live-in students lived.  Further past the lab was Route 21, the water route that led to Cinnabar Island. To the north was Route 1.

Red ran over to the Oak’s house. He wanted to see if Blue and Green were still there. Red opened the door to find Daisy Oak, the oldest of the three Oak siblings, sitting at the dining room table, reading. She looked up when she heard Red come in.

“Oh, hi Red!” Daisy said. She had long brown hair that came down to her waist. She wore a tight white top and a black skirt that showed off her legs. A black headband kept her hair out of her eyes.

“Hello, Daisy,” Red said. He didn’t know the older Oak sister that well, but she’d always treated him well.

“If you’re looking for Blue and Green,” Daisy said, “they’re not here. They’re over at Grandpa’s lab.”

“Thank you,” Red said as he bowed. He turned on his heel and ran out the door.

Daisy laughed. She could see what her little sister saw in that goof, though she was willing to bet Red didn’t know it! She turned back to her book.

***

“He’s late,” Hiroshi “Blue” Oak complained. He had spiky brown hair and a sharp, weasel-like face. Blue wore a purple long-sleeved shirt that stretched down to his knees over brown pants and white runners. A backpack hung off his shoulders. He was lounging against a table that held three Poké Balls on it in his grandfather’s lab.

“Grandpa? Or Red?” his sister, Rei “Green” Oak asked. Her brown hair was straight like her older sister’s, though Green’s was done up in a ponytail. She wore a black dress with a skirt that ended at her knees over a pair of sneakers. Green relaxed in a black swivel chair in the alcove across from where her brother lounged.

“Both!” Blue said, raising his hands up in exasperation. “Not that Red’s ever reliable, but…”

“Red is perfectly reliable!” Green snapped. “You lay off him, Blue…” The sound of a door opening stopped the argument dead in its tracks. The two siblings turned towards the south end of the lab, past the large shelves that divided the lab in two. Coming in from the doorway was Red, who ran up to the Oaks.

“Red!” Green shouted and waved. “Good morning! How did you sleep?”

“Didn’t,” Red said. “Where’s your grandfather?”

“Yo, Red! Gramps isn’t here,” Blue said. “And is that any way to talk to my sister?”

“Sorry, Green,” Red said.

“It’s okay,” Green said. “I understand. We’re all excited! Our first Pokémon!”

“Travelling the world far and wide, kicking butt and taking names!” Blue said, pumping his arms.

“Pokémon isn’t just about battling, Blue,” Red chided.

“Ah, you’re just saying that ‘cause you’re a wimp,” Blue sneered.

Red just stared back at him for a minute or two and then said to Green:

“I’m going to go find your grandfather.” He turned on his heel and left the lab. Green scowled at Blue.

“He’s your boyfriend,” Blue pointed out.

“No, he isn’t,” Green sighed. “Not yet, anyway.”

***

Red stayed a few minutes in the lab to question Oak’s aides. They didn’t know where the professor was either, but one of them suggested that Oak was out doing field research. Red resolved to look for Oak up on Route 1.

No sooner had Red crossed the boundary between Pallet Town and Route 1 than he heard a voice call out:

“Hey! Wait! Don’t go out! It’s unsafe! Wild Pokémon live in tall grass!” Red whirled around to see the professor come charging up towards him. Oak was a middle-aged man with greyish-brown hair dressed in a white lab coat over a purple shirt and brown pants. On his feet he black loafers. Oak caught up with Red and continued:

“You need your own Pokémon for protection! I know! Follow me!” He grabbed Red by the hand and dragged him back south towards the lab. Red tolerated this for a few seconds before he slipped his hand out from the professors and hurried to keep up alongside the older man. Professor Oak didn’t seem to notice.

***

Inside the lab, Green and Blue were arguing again. They stopped when they heard Oak and Red come in.

“Hey Gramps! We’re fed up with waiting!” Blue shouted. Green kicked him in the knee. Blue dodged before any serious damage could be done.

“Blue? Green?” Oak said blankly. “Let me think… oh, that’s right! I told you all to come. Just wait! Here, Red! There are three Pokémon here!” Red looked down at the bench with the three Poké Balls. Oak must have thought Red was confused because he said:

“Haha! They are inside the Poké Balls. When I was young, I was a serious Pokémon trainer! In my old age I only have three left, but you can have one! Choose!”

Given that was exactly what Red and the professor had agreed to months ago, Red decided that Oak must be losing his marbles. He didn’t know that could happen at forty-seven. Red made to pick up a Poké Ball from the bench when Blue spoke up.

“Hey! Gramps! What about me?” he said.

“You don’t get one, Blue, ‘cause you aren’t respectful like Red is,” Green said, sticking out her tongue. Blue gave her the stink eye in response.

“Be patient! Blue, you can have one, too,” Oak said. “And you too, Green. But let Red pick first.” Oak nodded at Red who nodded back. Red eyed the Poké Balls carefully. They were labelled Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Red picked up the Ball labelled Charmander.

“So! You want the fire Pokémon, Charmander?” Oak said. Red nodded.

“I’ll take this one, then!” Blue said, grabbing Squirtle. Green sighed.

“It’s a good thing I like Bulbasaur or you two would be in trouble,” she said, picking up the last of the Poké Balls.

“Yeah? Well my Pokémon looks a lot stronger,” Blue sneered.

“Grass-type beats Water-type, you ignoramus!” Green shouted back. Red and Oak shared exasperated looks. Deciding to leave the bickering siblings alone, Red clipped Charmander’s Poké Ball to his belt, adjusted his backpack and made his way to the exit.

“Wait Red!” Blue shouted as Red passed the shelves. “Let’s check out our Pokémon! Come on, I’ll take you on!” Red turned around and nodded. Green muttered something that sounded very much like ‘boys’ while Oak pinched the bridge of his nose.

Blue and Red squared off.

“Squirtle! I choose you!” Blue shouted as he threw his new Poké Ball. The Ball opened and out popped a blue turtle with a long curly tail.

“Charmander! You’re on!” Red replied, matching Blue’s movements. Out of Red’s Poké Ball came a bipedal orange lizard with a flaming tip on its tail. The two monsters mirrored their master’s stances.

“This is silly,” Green said, rolling her eyes.

“It’s not that silly,” Oak countered. “Pokémon grow stronger with each battle. That’s how they gain experience points.”

“And they need experience points to level to learn new moves, increase their stats and evolve,” Green agreed. “I get that, Grandpa. I’m not saying battles in general are silly, only that this battle is silly.”

“Ah,” Oak said.

Red watched Blue carefully. Every Pokémon battle was divided into turns. In each turn, the trainer (or wild Pokémon) decided their Pokémon’s move. The faster the Pokémon went first. That meant Charmander had an advantage. Red could start off the battle by attacking Squirtle, getting in that important early hit.

But Red knew Blue. He knew that his best friend and rival was a hothead, that he liked to go on the attack. And so Red went with a different strategy.

“Charmander! Use Growl!” Red shouted.

“Squirtle! Tackle!” Blue countered.

Red’s strategy worked. Charmander’s Growl went first, reducing Squirtle’s Attack. Squirtle’s Tackle landed square on Charmander, knocking the lizard to his feet. But the damage was much less than it should have been.

“Hah!” Blue crowed. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Red!”

“Are you okay, Charmander?” Red asked the orange lizard. Charmander looked up at his trainer and nodded.

“Good,” Red said. “Charmander, Growl!” he commanded.

“Not this again,” Blue sneered. “Squirtle! Tackle!” he countered.

This next round played out much like before. Only this time, the damage was even less. Red’s Charmander barely reacted to Squirtle’s Tackle this time.

“I don’t get it,” Green said. “Why isn’t Red attacking?”

“Because he’s smarter than Blue is,” Oak said grimly. “Red knows that Charmander is faster on average than Squirtle, and he knows that Blue is a hothead. So he has Charmander use Growl repeatedly, taking advantage of the fact that because Charmander goes first, Squirtle’s attacks are always going to be much weaker than they should be!”

Red would have preferred it if the professor hadn’t announced his strategy to the entire room. Blue didn’t seem to notice.

“Squirtle! Tackle!” Blue commanded, and the blue turtle prepared to launch itself at Red’s Charmander once more.

“Charmander! Growl!” Red countered. Red knew that Growl was only good five times in a row. After that, the Pokémon’s attack stat would be too low for Growl to work properly anymore. That meant he had two more rounds of Growl, after this one.

The round played much the same as the previous two had. Charmander used Growl to weaken Squirtle’s Attack, while Squirtle launched himself into the orange lizard. Only this time, there was a key difference.

“Ooh yeah!” Blue said, pumping his fists into the air. “Critical hit!”

“That is the risk with Red’s strategy,” Oak agreed as he and Green watched Red cradle the badly bruised Charmander in his arms. “The opponent can get lucky.”

“Oh no,” Green said, clutching her Poké Ball tight. “Poor Charmander!”

“You’re doing good, buddy,” Red said gently to his Pokémon. “You just need to hold out a little bit more, okay? Then we can take him.” Red reached into his backpack and pulled out the Potion he had grabbed earlier. Charmander looked at the spray bottle curiously. Red sprayed the Potion on Charmander, whose wounds healed instantly.

“What!?!” Blue said. “That’s not fair! Where the heck did that come from!”

“And that’s the risk of Blue’s strategy,” Oak said, smirking. “Sometimes, the opponent can come back from a lucky hit.”

“Go Red!” Green shouted. “Kick his butt!”

Squirtle was as surprised as Blue. He swayed on his feet, and then looked back at his master.

“What are you looking at me for?” Blue demanded. “Squirtle, Tackle him!”

“I think it’s time we changed our game plan, Charmander,” Red said. “Charmander, Scratch!”

Charmander raced up towards Squirtle and cut the turtle with his sharp claws across Squirtle’s head. Squirtle responded with a Tackle that missed Charmander completely.

“Oh no!” Blue groaned. He knew that miss was the beginning of the end for him, and he was right. Two rounds later, and Charmander was victorious.

“What?” Blue said as he recalled the fainted Squirtle back into his Poké Ball. “Unbelievable! I picked the wrong Pokémon!”

“You shouldn’t blame your loss on your Pokémon,” Red chided as he recalled Charmander back into his Poké Ball. “It’s not their fault your strategy was so lousy.”

“Whatever!” Blue said. “I’ll make my Pokémon fight to toughen it up. Red! Green! Gramps! Smell ya later!” Blue pushed Red out of the way and walked out of the lab.

“Butthead,” Green said, sticking her tongue out at her brother’s retreating back. “That was great, Red!” she added as she hugged him. Red awkwardly hugged her back, and then pushed Green away.

“I gotta go,” he said. And ran out the door.

“He’s your boyfriend,” Oak said.

“He keeps that up, he isn’t going to be anybody’s boyfriend,” Green said. Her voice was heavy with disappointment.

END CHAPTER

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note:  
> Whoohoo! Our first Pokémon battle! Also our first introduction to Professor and Daisy Oak. The good professor will be of greater importance later on, will Daisy? Stay tuned to find out!  
> ***  
> Pokémon owned by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures.  
> ***  
> If you enjoyed this chapter, please support me on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/joshstoodley) or by my original fiction on Amazon.  
> Robots and Vampires (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NDLMDT4): Two hundred years in the future, a young cyborg stops the richest boy in town from killing a gynoid. Now he must flee from the only home he’s ever known to Fort City, base of the mysterious Standard Technologies, Inc. Can he trust them?  
> The Standard Tech Case Files-The Black Coats (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VTWMR7W): When there’s a corpse on the street, somebody has to answer for that. When the body in question is the squire of a prominent vampire, the call for blood only gets louder. Follow Joey Bianco and his squire Jen Ryan as they hunt down a killer and try to keep the peace between vampires and humans.  
> The Standard Tech Case Files-The Dead and The Damned (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRSBC7I): Tensions between humanity and vampires are heating up. A vampire store has been ransacked. Protestors are being arrested without trial. Can Joey Bianco and Jen Ryan find a peaceful solution? Or will the streets of Fort City run red with blood?


	3. Team Building!

Pokémon Red Version: Team Building!

Red wandered into Viridian City. Which was a misnomer; the only reason the measly collection of buildings north of Pallet Town was called a city was because it had a gym. A gym that was closed, no less.

Red sighed as he wandered back south to the centre of town. Charmander had grown another level on the way to Viridian City, and Red had been eager to check out the gym to test his strength.

Red shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and whistled tunelessly. On the way down, he read a sign that said: Pokémon School! Red doubted that there was anything the school could teach him that he didn’t already know about Pokémon, but he decided to check it out, anyway.

It couldn’t hurt, right?

***

Green stood inside the Pokémon School, chatting animatedly with one of the students when the door opened. Green turned her head slightly to see Red come in. Green’s heart stopped, like it did every time she saw Red. _It’s not fair_ , she thought. _Why did I have to fall in love with the one idiot too stupid to realize it?_

The student she had been talking with noticed Green’s sudden lack of interest in the conversation and followed her gaze to the door. Seeing Red standing there looking around, the student smirked.

“See you later Green,” the student said, smirking. “And good luck.” Green just nodded.

“Red!” she shouted. “Red, over here!” Red looked around the room, saw her, and ambled over.

“Hi Green,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“Brushing up on my Pokémon skills,” she said, tugging on her skirt. Suddenly, she felt nervous. “You?”

“Just checking the place out,” Red said. “The gym is closed and the way into Viridian Forest is blocked.”

“On yeah, that drunk guy,” Green said, curling her nose up.

“What? His granddaughter said he just needed coffee,” Red said.

Green looked at her friend askance. “Red, how did you make it to eleven years old by being so naïve?” she demanded.

“I’m not naïve,” Red protested. “I know everything there is to know about Pokémon!”

“And nothing else,” Green countered. “Red, the old dude is passed out in the middle of the road. How do you think he got there?”

“A late night of Pokémon battles?” Red guessed. Green clapped her hand to her face.

“You’re a dork,” she said.

Red clearly had no answer to that because he quickly changed the subject. “Did you know that the gym is closed?” he said.

“Yeah, you mentioned that,” Green said. “I guess that means the first gym we have to face is Pewter City’s, right?”

“Yeah, Brock. The rock type gym leader,” Red said.

“Well, that’ll be easy,” Green said. Then she frowned. “For me and Blue, anyway. How are you going to do with Charmander?”

“I’ll be fine,” Red assured her. “Brock’s Pokémon are Onyx and Geodude, and his gym team is only around levels ten to twelve. That means they won’t have any Rock-type moves, and their Special stat is worthless. Even with their resistance to Fire they won’t last long.”

“I hope you’re right,” Green said skeptically.

“The Gym leader I’m worried about is Misty,” Red said. “She’s got a Staryu and Starmie!”

“Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem for you,” Green said. “Me and Bulbasaur will take care of her easily, though!”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Red cautioned her. “Starmie is one of the most powerful Pokémon out there, with great stats and a fantastic movepool. Even with Bulbasaur’s resistance to Water-type moves, you could end up taking a lot of damage.”

“Well aren’t you just a ray of sunshine,” Green said. “Thanks for the warning. I guess I better train Bulbasaur then. And catch some new Pokémon to help round out the team!”

“That’s a good idea,” Red said. “I’m going to head to the Poké Mart to get some Poké Balls. You want to come with?”

Green’s heart did a tribal jungle beat in her chest. “Sure,” she said, smiling.

***

Red and Green walked into the Poké Mart. Green had told some stupid joke and was currently laughing her head off. Her laugh was infectious, her smile even more so. Red felt better just being beside Green; her laughter made it seem like nothing could ever go wrong.

“Hey! Are you from Pallet Town?” the shopkeeper asked as soon as Red and Green walked through the door.

“Who? Us?” Red asked.

“Um, yeah,” Green answered. “We’re both from Pallet Town.”

“Great! Professor Oak’s order just came in, can you take it to him?” the shopkeeper said. Red walked up to the counter and grabbed the package. He and Green stared at for a moment.

“I wonder what Grandpa ordered?” Green said.

“Beats me,” Red said. “I guess I had better take it back to him.”

“I’ll go with you,” Green said.

“Only one of us has to go,” Red pointed out.

“I know,” Green said, tugging at the edge of her skirt again. “But I want to go with you. Unless you don’t want me to?” she added, glaring at Red.

“No! No, I want you to!” Red protested.

“Good!” Green said. “Then let’s get a move on.” She grabbed Red by the hand and pulled him out of the store. The shopkeeper, observing all this, chuckled.

***

Red and Green returned to the lab to find Professor Oak there waiting.

“Red! Green!” the professor said as the two walked into view. “How are you? And how are my old Pokémon doing?”

“We’re doing great, Grandpa!” Green said. Red nodded.

“Excellent,” Professor Oak said. “Well they certainly seem to like you. What is it you have there, Red?” Red gave him the package.

“Ah, the custom Poké Ball I ordered!” Oak said. “Excellent Red, thank you.”

Just then, Blue popped up from behind Red and Green. “What is it, Gramps? Why did you call me here?” he demanded.

“Ah good, you’re all here,” Oak said. “I have something to show you.” He went over to the lab bench on the western side of the lab and grabbed three red items, each about the size and shape of a paperback novel. Oak handed one of each to the three kids.

“This is my invention, the Pokédex!” Oak said. “It collects data on Pokémon you’ve seen or captured. To travel the world and see all the Pokémon! It was my dream. But I’m too old. Now it’s your turn.”

Red stared at the red case for a moment. A way to collect information on all Pokémon? And store it for easy access? No way!

“All right Grandpa! We will do our best!” Green said, snapping off a military salute.

“Yeah,” Blue said. “I know! I’ll go get a Town Map from Daisy! I’ll tell her not to give you one, Red! Ha ha!” With that, he sped out of the lab.

“Blue you butthead! Wait up!” Green said, chasing after him. Oak sighed.

“Their parents didn’t have this much energy,” he said.

Red slipped the Pokédex onto his belt. “Thank you, Professor,” he said.

“You’re welcome, Red,” Professor Oak said. “Now go out there and become a Pokémon master!”

***

Daisy Oak sat reading at her kitchen table when the door opened. She turned to see Red walk through.

“Hi Red!” she said. “What’s up?”

“Hi, Daisy,” Red said. “Um, can I borrow a Town Map? I need it to help your grandfather on an errand…”

“Grandpa asked you to run an errand for him?” Daisy asked. At Red’s confirming nod, she snorted. “Gee, that’s lazy of him,” she said. “Here. This will help.” Daisy pulled out a map from a stack of papers on the table and handed it to Red.

“Thank you, Daisy,” Red said, placing the folded up map in his backpack.

“No problem!” she said. “Just remember to say goodbye to your mother for me. And don’t let Blue get you down. He’s just protective of Green.”

“Why?” Red asked. “Green can handle herself.”

 _Because she’s madly in love with you, you little twit_ , Daisy thought, _and you’re too dumb to see it._ What she said was:

“You’ll find out soon enough. Good luck, Red!”

Red thanked her again and walked out the door.

***

Red said goodbye to his Mom, walked back to the Poké Mart in Viridian City and purchased some Poké Balls. He even got a Potion from a wandering salesman along Route 1.

Now it was time to catch some Pokémon. Red wandered in the tall grass for hours before coming across a Rattata.

“Go! Charmander!” Red shouted, tossing the red and white Poké Ball containing the Fire lizard in front of him. The orange bipedal lizard with a flaming tail popped out.

Opposite him, watching warily, was a purple and white rat with a curled tail and red eyes. Rattata was not a dangerous Pokémon on its own, but Red knew that it was much faster than Charmander. He would have to be careful here.

“Charmander! Use Scratch!” Red called out. The orange lizard obeyed without hesitation, jumping in close to slash at Rattata with its claws.

The purple rat was too fast however and got in a Tackle before Charmander could close the distance. The exchange left both Pokémon injured.

Red took stock. Charmander had obviously done more damage to Rattata than the other way around, which was a good thing. But Charmander was slower than Rattata, which left the lizard vulnerable. Fortunately, Red didn’t need to battle Rattata for long.

“Charmander! Scratch!” Red called out.

Charmander obliged, wading into Rattata. This time, Rattata went with a Tail Whip instead. Charmander connected, knocking Rattata’s health down even more. This was the chance Red had been waiting for.

Reaching into his backpack, Red pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it at the Rattata. His aim was perfect. The ball hit Rattata square on, causing the ball to open and close around Rattata. Rattata struggled for a moment or two, but eventually settled down. Red walked over and collected the Poké Ball. He grinned.

“We did it, Charmander,” he said. “We caught our first Pokémon.”

Charmander tilted his head quizzically at his trainer. Red laughed and petted Charmander on the head before returning the lizard to its Poké Ball.

Today was a good day.

***

After a short walk back to his mother’s house in Pallet Town, Red was back on the trail again. Along Route 1 he caught a Pidgey. Now he had gone into the tall grass of Route 22, seeking more dangerous Pokémon.

Like the level six Spearow right in front of him. Spearow was the same level as Charmander, and a good four levels higher than either Rattata or Pidgey. That could make things difficult.

“Go! Charmander!” Red shouted, lobbying a Poké Ball. Out of the red and white orb sprang Charmander, eager for battle.

The two combatants eyed each other warily. Spearow hopped from one foot to the other. Charmander slowly waved its tail.

Red bit his lip. It was now or never. “Charmander! Use Growl!” he called out.

Spearow darted in with a Peck, hitting Charmander before the lizard could react. Charmander Growled harshly, lowering Spearow’s attack stat.

The battle continued like that for another four turns, each Pokémon trading blows. Finally, Red and Charmander were able to batter Spearow done to where Red could catch it.

“Yes!” Red said, pumping his arm in the air as the Poké Ball snapped shut on the bird Pokémon. “Good job, Charmander!”

Charmander preened at the praise. Red laughed and petted his Pokémon.

“Come on, buddy,” Red said. “Let’s get you and Spearow all healed up.”

***

“Go! Charmander!” Red shouted. He and Charmander were facing down a Nidoran♂. The small purple monster, with its large ears, spines down its back and a horn protruding out of its head, was an intimidating looking creature. Red wasn’t worried though. He and Charmander had built a good rhythm of capturing Pokémon.

“Charmander, use Scratch…”

***

“… now!” Red called out. After having captured Nidoran♂, Red now faced its female counterpart.

Nidoran♀ was smaller than the male, white and without the protruding horn in the middle of its head. Red knew better than to underestimate it though. Nidoran of either gender was a tough customer.

Nidoran countered Charmander’s Scratch with a Tackle of its own. Neither attack connected.

“Okay, Charmander,” Red said. “Let’s try that again. Scratch!”

***

Later that night, Red set up camp with the help of his Pokémon. It was his first night away from home, and he was a little nervous.

Setting up the camp went down without a hitch, however. Charmander gathered firewood and lit the fire. Rattata helped set up the tent by holding the lines with his teeth while Red hammered the stakes into place. Pidgey and Spearow got into a mock fight. The two Nidorans curled up beside each other and went to sleep.

After he and Rattata set up the tent, Red cooked dinner. He had learned how from his mother, and his first time was… all right. Nothing to write home about, but nothing that would make him or his Pokémon sick either. Red was disappointed, but he couldn’t afford to throw out the food and try again. So instead he ate, sharing his dinner with his team.

“Eat up guys,” Red said, placing servings in six different bowls and setting the bowls down. The Pokémon gobbled the food up. Red watched, amused at how the different personalities of the Pokémon revealed themselves in how they ate. Charmander scooped up the food with his hands like a human, chewing on them happily. Spearow picked apart the food and threw it on the ground before eating, pretending that it was hunting. Pidgey pecked at the food while Rattata inhaled it. Nidoran♂ chewed his food daintly while the other Nidoran went at it like there was no tomorrow. Red laughed and ate his own food.

There was nothing like camping with your Pokémon.

***

The next day, Red was studying the town map. He was on Route 22, and to the west was Route 23, home to the Pokémon League. Red knew that he’d need eight badges to actually get into the League, but he still wanted to check it out. So Red packed up his campsite and went west.

Before he got even half-way through Route 22, however, he ran into Blue.

“Hey Red!” Blue called out. “What are you doing here? I bet you don’t even have one badge yet!”

“And you do?” Red asked.

Blue ignored the question. “I know! I’ll see just how strong your Pokémon have gotten!” he said. “Go! Pidgey!”

Red sighed. “Charmander! I choose you!” he shouted, tossing the red and white ball. Out popped the orange lizard, tail waving in excitement.

Red and his team trained all the day before and for the few hours before they met Blue, so Charmander was level eight in his own right. That still gave the level nine Pidgey Blue had an advantage. Red would have to be careful here, and hope Blue didn’t abuse Sand Attack.

“Charmander, Growl!” Red said.

“Pidgey, Gust!” Blue countered. Pidgey was slower than Charmander, and its attack was much less powerful than it should have been. Red knew he couldn’t rely on that holding true forever and pressed his attack.

“Charmander, Scratch!” Red shouted. Charmander rushed in, arms swinging.

“Pidgey, Sand Attack!” Blue countered. Red cursed. Sand Attack was, in Red’s opinion, one of the most powerful moves a Pokémon had. Even hitting the opposing Pokémon once with Sand Attack once was enough to cause problems. If you did it again and again, you could shut the enemy Pokémon down completely. Case in point, Charmander missed with its attack.

“Charmander, come back!” Red said, summoning his Pokémon back into its Poké Ball. “Go, Rattata!” he shouted, throwing out another Poké Ball. The purple rat popped out of the ball, sniffing the air.

“Pidgey, Gust!” Blue shouted. Red breathed a sigh of relief. He had gambled that Blue would switch back to an offensive strategy after hitting Charmander with Sand Attack, and he was right. Rattata got buffeted by the winds a bit, but that was all right. For Rattata was now level seven, and he had an ace up his sleeve.

“Rattata, Quick Attack!” Red shouted. The purple rat lunged forward to slam into the small bird. Blue panicked and shouted: “Pidgey, Gust!” The two Pokémon traded blows for another couple of turns, but Rattata emerged triumphant.

“Go, Squirtle!” Blue shouted after recalling his fainted Pidgey. The blue turtle popped out of its Poké Ball, eager for a fight.

Red considered his own Pokémon. Squirtle was level nine, making it a danger to Charmander. Rattata had won his fight with Pidgey, but he was battered and bruised. It was time to switch.

“Rattata, return! Spearow, it’s your turn!” Red shouted. The angry brown bird leapt out of its Poké Ball, glaring at Squirtle.

“Squirtle! Bubble!” Blue shouted.

“Spearow! Use Peck!” Red commanded. Squirtle shot a series of bubbles out of its mouth. To Red’s relief, the bubbles missed. To Blue’s dismay, Spearow’s Peck did not.

The two Pokémon exchanged blows for another four turns before Blue’s Squirtle fell. Blue recalled the Pokémon with a sour expression on his face.

“Maybe you are strong enough to face Brock after all,” Blue said as he shoved Red out of his way while heading back towards Viridian City and the Pokémon Center. Red watched him leave before turning back towards the Pokémon League. He cinched up his bag tighter and walked on.

After this, the next stop would be Viridian Forest and Pewter City.

END CHAPTER

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note:  
> Okay, that took longer than it should have. This chapter took longer than it should have and was a pain in the ass to come together. But it did, and I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> ***
> 
> Pokémon owned by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures.
> 
> ***
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter, please support me on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/joshstoodley) or by my original fiction on Amazon.
> 
> Robots and Vampires (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NDLMDT4): Two hundred years in the future, a young cyborg stops the richest boy in town from killing a gynoid. Now he must flee from the only home he’s ever known to Fort City, base of the mysterious Standard Technologies, Inc. Can he trust them?
> 
> The Standard Tech Case Files: The Black Coats (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VTWMR7W): When there’s a corpse on the street, somebody has to answer for that. When the body in question is the squire of a prominent vampire, the call for blood only gets louder. Follow Joey Bianco and his squire Jen Ryan as they hunt down a killer and try to keep the peace between vampires and humans.
> 
> The Standard Tech Case Files: The Dead and The Damned (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRSBC7I): Tensions between humanity and vampires are heating up. A vampire store has been ransacked. Protestors are being arrested without trial. Can Joey Bianco and Jen Ryan find a peaceful solution? Or will the streets of Fort City run red with blood?


End file.
